Driving unit for displacing the retention barrier of a water-slope system for inland navigation

ABSTRACT

The driving unit for displacing a retention barrier in the channel of a water-slope system comprises two flat longitudinal members each mounted on a row of carrying wheels supported on a runway formed by the top face of each channel side-wall. The longitudinal members are coupled together by cross-members mounted on top of these latter so as to form a highly rigid structure which is connected to the retention barrier by means of a pivotally coupled push-bar frame.

United States Patent Aubert Aug. 29, 1975 [54] DRIVING UNIT FOR DISPLACING THE 2,750,204 6/1956 OhrmannW, 280/4323 x RETENTION BARRIER OF A 3,514,958 6/1970 Aubert v 61/9 3,686,871 8/1972 Schollcr 61/9 WATER-SLOPE SYSTEM FOR INLAND NAVIGATION Filed: May 17, 1974 Appl. No.: 470,729

Inventor:

Foreign Application Priority Data June 1, 1973 France 73.20060 US. Cl 61/9; 280/4323 Int. Cl. EOZC 3/00; B62D 21/14 Field of Search 61/8, 9, 29, 67; 280/4323 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1955 Poynor et a1. 61/29 X Primary Examirierlacob Shapiro Attorney, Agent, or FirmYoung & Thompson [57] ABSTRACT The driving unit for displacing a retention barrier in the channel of a water-slope system comprises two flat longitudinal members each mounted on a row of carrying wheels supported on a runway formed by the top face of each channel side-wall. The longitudinal members are coupled together by cross-members mounted on top of these latter so as to form a highly rigid structure which is connected to the retention barrier by means of a pivotally coupled push-bar frame.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAUBZBIHYS 3.901.037

satin 2 BF 2 Fig.3 v 9 DRIVING UNIT FOR DISPLACING TI'IE RETENTION BARRIER OF A WATER-SLOPE SYSTEM FOR INLAND NAVIGATION This invention relates to a driving system for displacing a retention barrier within the channel of a water slope" system for inland navigation.

French Pat. No. 1,341,681 describes a structure known as a water-slope elevator which is designed to permit the transfer of boats from a downstream pool to an upstream pool or conversely, a communication being provided between the two pools by means of the above-mentioned channel which has an inclined bottom'face and substantially vertical side walls and which may also be closed by means of gates at both ends. A driving machine serves to displace the retention barrier which shuts-off the channel transversely and retains a mass of water which carries the boat or train of boats or barges to be transferred.

In the description which now follows, the bottom face of the channel, the side-walls of the channel and the mass of water will be designated respectively as the channel floor, the channel walls and the water wedge.

The driving machine employed up to the present time for displacing the retention barrier consists of two motor carriages each mounted on two rows of carrying wheels disposed laterally with respect to the channel on each side of the channel walls and connected to each other by means of rigid metallic cross-members.

This driving system proves satisfactory but entails the I need to construct lateral runways with respect to the channel walls.

Moreover, the cross-members which serve to connect the two motor carriages necessarily have lengths which are considerably greater than the width of the channel, with the result that the construction of this type of driving system and its installation are relatively costly.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a driving unit for displacing the retention barrier which is of simpler design, is more economical and offers greater convenience and ease of installation on the water slope.

The driving unit in accordance with the invention which has the design function of displacing a retention barrier in the channel of a water-slope system for inland navigation comprises on the one hand a structure mounted on carrying wheels and displaceable along walls which extend on each side of the channel and on the other hand a pivotally coupled pushbar for connecting this structure to the retention barrier.

In accordance with the invention, the driving unit aforesaid is distinguished by the fact that the structure comprises two flat longitudinal members each disposed along one edge of the channel in a substantially vertical plane which is parallel to the vertical plane containing the axis of the channel, and that said flat longitudinal members are rigidly coupled together by means of at least two cross-members mounted on top of said longitudinal members.

The forces applied to the retention barrier by the water wedge are transmitted by the pushbar to the cross-members and are in turn distributed by these latterin a substantially equal manner between the two longitudinal members. Said members are therefore subjected to the forces solely in their planes and over their entire lengths, thereby ensuring good balancing of the driving unit among other advantages.

Further properties and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which now follows below, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of nonlimitative examples of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in longitudinal elevation showing one embodiment of the driving unit in accordance with the invention, said unit being installed on a water slope;

FIG. 2 is a simplified plan view of the driving unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a simplified front view in elevation showing the driving unit of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical part-sectional view showing one mode of assembly adopted for mounting the longitudinal members aforesaid on the carrying wheels;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal part-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram representing the principal forces developed in the driving unit according to the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a driving unit 1 which is intended to displace a retention barrier 8 within the channel of a water slope 2.

In accordance with the invention, the driving unit 1 comprises two flat parallel longitudinal members 5 disposed in substantially vertical planes on the channel walls 4 of the water slope 2, said planes being parallel to the plane containing the longitudinal axis XX of the channel of the water slope 2.

The height H of said longitudinal members 5 is considerably greater than the thickness of said members and these latter are connected at the top portion thereof by means of stiffening cross-members 6a, 6b, provision being made for two cross-members in the example herein described.

The cross-members 6a, 6b are joined to the longitudinal members 5 so as to form a highly rigid assembly, with the result that a single-unit gantry is thus formed.

The longitudinal members 5 are supported by two rows of carrying wheels 10 which run along the channel walls 4 and the vertical mid-planes Z-Z of which (as shown in FIG. 4). are substantially coplanar with the vertical mid-planes of the longitudinal members 5.

An operators control cabin 12 is mounted at the top portion of the driving unit 1 and the stiffening crossmember 6a carries a pushbar 7 which provides a connection between the unit and the retention barrier 8. Said pushbar 7 is mounted on the cross-member 6a by means of an articulation 9 and is thus permitted to pivot about an approximately horizontal axis.

The carrying wheels 10 are preferably fitted with tyres and are each driven by a motor 16 which is advantageously of the hydraulic type.

The end wheels 10 are completed by guide rollers (not shown in the drawings) which run along the outer lateral edge 4a (FIG. 3) of the channel walls 4.

Said rollers apply to the driving unit 1 forces which are substantially perpendicular to the vertical plane containing the longitudinal axis XX of the channel floor 3. Said rollers can advantageously be placed opposite to the stiffening cross-members 6a, 6b.

One mode of assembly adopted for mounting the longitudinal members 5 on the wheels 10 will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

A housing 18 is formed within the longitudinal member 5 above each wheel but in such a manner as to ensure that the walls of said housing 18 have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the stresses sustained by the longitudinal member 5.

A-right-angled support bracket 1 1 is mounted at one end on the shaft of the hub 13 of the wheel 10 and at the other end on a substantially horizontal pivot-pin 14 which is rigidly fixed to the floor of the housing 18.

The coupling between the right-angled support bracket 1 1 and the pivot-pin 14 can be effected for example by means of two lateral arms slidably mounted on the pin 14 as shown in FIG. 5.

The right-angled support bracket 1 l is formed of material having high mechanical strength such as steel and is capable of pivoting about the pin 14 together with the wheel 10 by means of an operating jack 17 which is anchored within the housing 18.

A holding strut 19 which is mounted at one end on the hub 13 on the side remote from the support bracket 11 and attached at the other end to the longitudinal member 5 completes the coupling between this latter and the carrying wheel 10.

Said holding strut 19 can be disengaged from the wheel 10 in order to permit pivotal movement of this latter about the pin 14.

The motor 16 which drives the wheel 10 is attached to the support bracket 11 whilst the drive shaft of said motor passes through said support bracket and is coupled to the hub 13.

Each motor 16 is connected to a hydraulic set by means of pipes 30 and said hydraulic set can be carried by one of the cross-members 6a, 6b.

The diagram of FIG. 6 shows the principal forces developed when the driving unit 1 in accordance with the invention displaces along the channel floor 3 the barrier 8 which retains a water wedge 20 on which float one or a plurality of boats.

Let it be considered that P is the weight of the driving unit 1, F is the hydrostatic force applied to the retention barrier 8 by the water wedge 20. The force F is transmitted by the pushbar 7 to the cross-member 6a and also distributed by the extremities of this latter between the longitudinal members 5.

Each longitudinal member 5 is then subjected to a force which is substantially equal to F/2 and applied approximately in the vertical mid-plane of the longitudinal member 5.

In order to ensure good stability and satisfactory balancing of the driving unit 1, provision is made in accordance with the invention to design the size of the unit so that the axis of the pushbar 7 intersects the plane defined by the surfaces of the channel walls 4 between the two central wheels 10. This point of intersection is indicated at 0 in FIG. 6. To this end, each row of wheels 10 preferably consists of an odd number such as seven wheels, for example.

The driving unit 1 is also designed so that the resul tant P of the weight of its constituent elements also passes through the point 0 aforesaid, these elements being suitably distributed for this purpose.

By virtue of the foregoing arrangements, variations in the hydrostatic force F can be uniformly distributed between the different wheels 10 and the reactions of the channel walls 4 on each wheel can be equalized with respect to each other.

The forces P and F combine so as to give rise to a resultant (not represented in FIG. 6) which is applied to the channel walls 4. Said resultant is balanced by the resultant R of the reactions of the channel walls 4 on all the wheels 10.

In the example of FIG. 6, said resultant R is inclined to the surface of the channel walls 4 at an angle of approximately 60 degrees, thereby ensuring that the wheels 10 are applied against the channel walls under sufficient mechanical pressure. To this end, it is necessary to ensure that the weight P of the driving unit 1 is substantially greater than the hydrostatic force P and v has twice the value, for example. If the weight P is reduced to a value P which is close to F, the reaction R becomes distinctly lower than R and is inclined only at a small angle with respect to the surface of the channel walls 4. The wheels 10 then adhere to the channel walls 4 with much lower adhesive force and if the quotient of R by P exceeds 0.7, this comes very close to the limit of sliding of the wheels 10 on wet concrete.

The essential advantage of the driving unit 1 provided by the invention is that the hydrostatic forces to which the retention barrier 8 is subjected can thus be uniformly distributed along each longitudinal member 5 and in the planes of said longitudinal members 5.

Except for lateral forces produced by wind, the flat longitudinal members 5 are therefore not subjected to any forces located substantially in their vertical midplanes and this accordingly prevents any danger of buckling of said longitudinal members 5.

As mentioned earlier, the thickness of the longitudinal members 5 is of small value compared with the height H and the length of said members. However, said thickness must be sufficient to ensure that the longitudinal members 5 afford suitable resistance to the effect of slight dissymmetries of the driving unit 1 and to forces due to the pressure of wind. These stresses are advantageously balanced by means of the abovementioned guide rollers.

The fact that the vertical mid-planes ZZ of the wheels 10 are coplanar with the vertical mid-planes of the longitudinal members 5 ensures the transmission in the planes just mentioned of the forces derived from the resultant R of the reactions of the channel walls 4. This mode of assembly of the wheels 10 therefore serves to prevent buckling of the longitudinal members 5.

This result can also be obtained less advantageously by placing beneath each longitudinal member 5 two rows of wheels which are symmetrical with respect to the midplane of the longitudinal member 5.

As has been mentioned in the foregoing, the wheels 10 are preferably fitted with tyres. Said tyres can rest directly on the runways or tracks which are constituted by the top surfaces of the channel walls 4. This would not be possible in the case of metallic wheels which would entail the need for the costly construction of running-rails and a suitable arrangement of the channel walls 4.

The fact that the wheels 10 rest on the tops of the channel walls 4 makes it possible in addition to reduce the spacing between the longitudinal members 5 to the maximum extent.

Wheels fitted with pneumatic tyres of a type now commercially available are capable of carrying a unitload of tons and therefore replace metallic wheels in a very advantageous manner.

In order to change one wheel of the driving unit 1 in accordance with the invention, the holding strut 19 is disconnected from the hub 13 and the jack 17 is then actuated. The support bracket 1 1 is caused by said jack to pivot about the pin 14 and is accompanied by a corresponding pivotal displacement of the wheel 10 which can thus be moved clear of the longitudinal member 5 and then removed. The housing 18 and the jack 17 are clearly designed to ensure that the extent of rotational displacement of the support bracket is sufficient to permit lateral disengagement of the wheel 10.

By way of illustration, a force F of approximately 400 tons and a weight P of approximately 800 tons in the case of the driving unit according to the invention correspond to a train of boats or barges having a weight of 4000 tons.

The invention is not limited to the examples hereinabove described and may be extended to alternative forms of construction within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a driving unit for displacing a retention barrier I in the channel of a water-slope system for inland navigation and comprising twin vehicles each mounted on carrying wheels and displaceable along the two side walls of the channel, a bridging structure extending across and over the channel and interconnecting said vehicles, and structural pushing means pivotally connected between said retention barrier and said bridging structure for pushing said barrier and allowing its vertical motion relative to the channel; the improvement wherein said bridging structure comprises at least two spaced transverse beams each rigidly attached near one longitudinal end of each vehicle, said structural pushing means comprising a single rigid push-bar extending substantially along the axis of the channel, said pushbar having its forward end rigidly connected with the barrier and its rear end connected for pivotal movement about a single axis with the middle of the rearmost transverse beam of the bridging structure, at least some of the carrying wheels of each vehicle being also driving wheels.

2. A unit according to claim 1, supported on tireequipped wheels, wherein said wheels operate on runways arranged directly on top of each of the channel walls.

3. A unit according to claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of said unit in its operating position lies substantially over the center of the rectangle defined by the contact points of the carrying and driving wheels on said runways, the axis of the push-bar also substantially passing through said center.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3,901,037 DATED I August 26, 1975 INVENTOR(S) I Jean AUBERT it is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the patent date on the title sheet, item [45] change "Aug. 29, 1975" to -Aug. 26, 1975-- Signed and Bealcd this ninth Day of December 1975 '[SEAL] A ttes t:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN A t sling ffic Commissioner ofParents and Trademarks 

1. In a driving unit for displacing a retention barrier in the channel of a water-slope system for inland navigation and comprising twin vehicles each mounted on carrying wheels and displaceable along the two side walls of the channel, a bridging structure extending across and over the channel and interconnecting said vehicles, and structural pushing means pivotally connected between said retention barrier and said bridging structure for pushing said barrier and allowing its vertical motion relative to the channel; the improvement wherein said bridging structure comPrises at least two spaced transverse beams each rigidly attached near one longitudinal end of each vehicle, said structural pushing means comprising a single rigid push-bar extending substantially along the axis of the channel, said push-bar having its forward end rigidly connected with the barrier and its rear end connected for pivotal movement about a single axis with the middle of the rearmost transverse beam of the bridging structure, at least some of the carrying wheels of each vehicle being also driving wheels.
 2. A unit according to claim 1, supported on tire-equipped wheels, wherein said wheels operate on runways arranged directly on top of each of the channel walls.
 3. A unit according to claim 1, wherein the center of gravity of said unit in its operating position lies substantially over the center of the rectangle defined by the contact points of the carrying and driving wheels on said runways, the axis of the push-bar also substantially passing through said center. 